Iowa's deficient roads are costing motorists about $2 billion annually because of accelerated vehicle depreciation, additional repair costs, increased fuel consumption and tire wear, according to a new report by national highway lobby group.

The study by TRIP, based in Washington, D.C., was released as about 200 members of the Iowa Farm Bureau launched a full-court press at the Iowa Capitol on Wednesday. They were there to lobby House and Senate members to vote for a 10-cent per gallon increase in the state's gasoline and diesel fuel tax. The tax hike would included in a package to raise about $215 million annually for road repairs.

"It's time to fix our roads because this has been put off far too long," said Iowa Farm Bureau President Craig Hill. He suggested an additional 10 cents per gallon for fuel is fair and equitable because it would be paid for by Iowa motorists who use the roads, as well as people driving through Iowa.

"We think the time is right to get this done now," Hill said.

The TRIP report, based on federal highway data from Iowa, said 27 percent of Iowa's major urban roads and highways have pavement in poor condition, while an additional 50 percent of the state's major urban roads are rated in mediocre or fair condition. The remaining 23 percent are rated in good condition.

The report also said 13 percent of Iowa's rural roads are in poor condition, while 45 percent of rural roads are in mediocre or fair condition and 42 percent are in good condition. In addition, the research noted that more than a quarter of Iowa's bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.

Sharon Presnall, senior vice president of the Iowa Bankers Association, said providing good roads is the most significant economic development initiative the state can provide its citizens. "It is the backbone of a sound economy, connecting Iowa with regional, national and international markets."

Farm Bureau action

As Presnall spoke at a news conference, Farm Bureau members fanned out throughout the Iowa Capitol on Wednesday morning to buttonhole local lawmakers and make their case for a dime per gallon fuel tax increase.

Rebecca Dostal of Traer, whose family raises crops and livestock, was joined by Marshalltown farmer Allen Burt as they visited with state Sen. Steve Sodders, D-State Center, outside the Senate chambers. The gas tax bill cleared a Senate committee on Tuesday and could come up for a vote on the Senate floor as early as next week. A companion bill is pending in the House.

Buy Photo

State Sen. Steve Sodders, center, talked Wednesday at the Iowa Capitol with Allen Burt of Marshalltown and Rebecca Dostal of Traer, who are both Iowa Farm Bureau members. They were among 200 Farm Bureau members who flooded the Iowa Capitol on Wednesday to urged suppport for a 10-cent per gallon increase in the state’s gasoline and diesel fuel tax. The money would be used to pay for repairs to state, city and county roads. Sodders, a Democrat from State Center, said he was undecided whether he would vote for the gas tax bill.(Photo: Des Moines Register/William Petroski)

Sodders said he was undecided how he would vote on the gas tax bill. He explained he was originally supportive of a straight 10-cent fuel tax increase, but he is taking a second look because of provisions added to the bill. Those provisions include restrictions on local government bonding for road projects, higher permit fees for oversized and overweight trucks, plus other requirements.

Dostal said there is no question a fuel tax increase is needed. "The roads, the bridges are deteriorating. It is very important to keep those up for our livelihood," she said.

Burt said he plans a trip in March to Brazil, where the cost of supplying soybeans to world markets is higher because a lack of infrastructure adds to the expense of transporting agricultural commodities. It's crucial that Iowa maintain its road system to keep its competitive edge for farmers, he added.

"I am concerned about roads because just in Marshall County alone it is getting extremely difficult for me to truck my corn, my soybeans and my pigs out of my county," Burt said.

Will roads get worse?

Carolyn Bonifas Kelly, one of the authors of the TRIP report, said the condition of Iowa's roads will only get worse if additional funding is not provided. That can make Iowa less attractive to businesses that are expanding or planning to relocate, she said.

Supporters of the gas tax increase pointed to a recent survey of Iowa industry executives which said the state's need for highway improvements was rated as one of Iowa's most serious economic development weaknesses, just behind the availability of a skilled workforce. Annually, $157 billion in goods are shipped from sites in Iowa and another $142 billion in goods are shipped to sites in Iowa, mostly by truck, the survey showed.

Americans for Prosperity of Iowa, a conservative advocacy group, issued a statement saying it doesn't dispute the deterioration of Iowa's infrastructure. But it said some legislative leaders can't seem to imagine any solutions other than increasing the tax burden on Iowa's families and businesses.

"It's time for the legislature to set real priorities—including infrastructure funding—and to learn to live within the budget. To argue that the state doesn't have enough money to adequately fund roads and bridges is to say that every other expenditure of state government is of equal or greater value than sound infrastructure. That's simply not true," Americans for Prosperity said.